Today's News

We are experiencing a really mean economy, the worst I’ve ever seen. In fact, I believe that there are probably few people still living who can remember it being worse. Nationally, the unemployment rate is 9 percent and job growth has been sluggish. Two years after the recession’s end we’ve only made up for perhaps about a fourth of the jobs that were destroyed in the downturn. In the meantime, more new graduates have entered the job market.

Dr. Don Gardner got a surprise when he showed up at the annual conference of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) in St. Louis, Mo., in late September. He was presented with the Boehringer Ingelheim Bovine Practitioner of the Year award. This award, established in 1978, is presented to one beef/dairy veterinarian annually based on excellence in practice in active bovine practice and service to the profession.

Agriculture in America is facing an unprecedented attack from the EPA, according to Steve Jenkins, senior district field services director for the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation. Jenkins spoke before the local Farm Bureau’s annual dinner last month.

The Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce held a transportation roundtable at Boxley last week. Attended by businessmen and representatives of the school division, the purpose was to get a discussion going on transportation needs in the Bedford area. The meeting was also attended by Delegate Lacey Putney and Richard Caywood, the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Salem District administrator. Most of the Bedford area is in the Salem district.

Bedford has lost one of its few remaining living connections with the tragedy it experienced on D-Day.

Bedford’s Company A was part of the first wave and 23 local men died on June 6, 1944. Nineteen of them were killed in the first minutes of fighting. Elizabeth Teass, who died last week at the age of 89, was the Western Union operator who received the War Department’s telegrams informing families of the deaths.

When Delegate Lacey Putney returns to the House of Delegates in January, it will mark his 50th anniversary of representing the 19th House District.

Virginia’s state legislature is the oldest democratically elected legislature in the Western Hemisphere — it first met 392 years ago in Jamestown. Putney has personally been a part of more than 12 percent of that history. He first set foot on the floor of the House in January 1962.

A public hearing on changes to the county’s zoning ordinance, Thursday night, drew so many people that the hearing had to be continued until this Thursday night.

About 300 people showed up last week; there was only room for 75.
Most of those who turned out were unable to get into the meeting room and some of those who managed to squeeze in had to leave and stand in the hall.
The crowd was angry — and vocal.

There will be a decidedly new look to the Bedford County School Board come Jan. 1.

Last week’s election sent three new faces to the school board: Kevin Willis in District 7, Kelly Harmony in District 6 and Richard Downey in District 1. District 5 incumbent Julie Bennington survived a challenge from Ricky Wilkerson to win the other School Board seat up for election last Tuesday.

With Election 2011 behind us, some of those who threw their hat in the ring discuss the election and the future.

Sheriff Mike Brown
Voters reelected Sheriff Mike Brown to another term. Brown won with 72 percent of the vote. When he completes this term, he will have served for 20 years.
“We were very pleased,” Brown commented about the results.